Do It All Over Again
by Angel In Disguise2
Summary: Shawn meets an amazing girl in New York, but he won't pursue the relationship, because he's still in love with Angela. When Angela comes back, are things all he thought they'd be?
1. Chapter One: Cory vs Topanga

Cory sighed. He hated fighting with Topanga so much. But ever since they moved to from Philadelphia to New York City, things had gone downhill for them. She complained that he spent too much time with Shawn, but without Cory, Shawn was alone. You see, Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter were from very opposite sides of society. Cory was always blessed with everything he needed, and he always tried to share it with Shawn, who wasn't so fortunate. Shawn grew up in a trailor park, and always called Cory the blessed one, because Shawn scraped to keep the clothes on his back.  
  
Topanga had just left the house in a fury, raving about Cory never paying the bills, and the house always being dirty when she got home from her intern ship. She was really touchy about things like that, so Cory basically overlooked all the arguments and everything. He shrugged them off as frustrations with work, and just went on doing his own thing. But this particular argument was really heated, and Cory almost hit Topanga. He had never hit her before, and he didn't know what had come over him. He sat on the couch, staring at a blank TV screen, thinking of the past few hours worth of events.  
  
***  
  
"Ugh, CORY!" Topanga screeched. "Why don't you EVER do ANYTHING around here?" she asked, running her finger along the counter, picking up grime and grease.  
  
Cory rolled his eyes. "Honey, I was out all day, trying to get a job..."  
  
"And you couldn't come home a LITTLE bit earlier just to clean up a little? It'd make me VERY happy..." Topanga got that irritated tone in her voice, as if to say 'if you don't, you won't be able to anymore.'  
  
"So, let me get this straight?" Cory sat up. "You nag that I don't have a job, and then when I finally take the initiative, you nag that I'm not at home?" he asked. "Where is the sense in this?"  
  
"I think that's the most intelligent sounding thing you've said in twenty years, dear!" Topanga pushed another button.  
  
Cory huffed. "Thank you, darling..." he held it in, and smiled cordially.  
  
"Don't give me that 'thank you dear, even though I'm pissed as hell at you' attitude," Topanga tilted her head.  
  
"You want to fight, is that it?" Cory stood up.  
  
"No, you just make it too easy..." Topanga sat on the couch where Cory was. "Watching 'The Cory Show' I see?" she asked, staring at the blank screen.  
  
"No, not really, I was reading the Classified Ads." Cory announced proudly.  
  
"Well there..." Topanga knocked him off his high horse. "At least he's trying..."  
  
Cory sucked it back again. He had never been so frustrated with Topanga in his life. Sure, there were times when he'd been angry enough to have a shouting match, but right now, he wanted to hit her. He wanted to so badly, but he couldn't. "Honey, aren't you glad that I'm actually taking action?"  
  
"No, not really, you should have taken action months ago, rather than helping Shawn, who is fine on his own, mind you..." Topanga insensitively remarked.  
  
"Shawn needed my help a lot..." Cory narrowed his eyes, and defended his best friend. "He's lost Angela, his dad, I'm all he has left!" he yelled.  
  
"Have you ever defended me like this?" Topanga asked.  
  
"Yes, why?" Cory returned her question.  
  
"Whatever, Cory. I've had enough of being placed AFTER Shawn..." she stood up and got into his face. "He's not married to you, I am!"  
  
Cory raised his arm. He wanted to hit her so badly. He felt as though he'd feel better if he did. Everything inside him was telling him to, but he couldn't. He loved Topanga. He could never hurt her in any way. But he was so angry.  
  
"Never mind, I'll be back later," Topanga narrowed her eyes at Cory, and stormed out the door.  
  
***  
  
Cory stared at the TV still. Topanga was right. He'd always placed her after Shawn. He'd always thought of Shawn, and worried about what Shawn would think. He had to talk to someone, but not Shawn. He'd only make it harder on him by telling him to do what Topanga said to do. Who was he supposed to call? Normally, he'd run to Shawn. The only other person he could talk to was Eric. His idiotic, moronic (and all other synonyms to the word stupid) brother, Eric.  
  
He called Eric's number, but after three rings, there was no answer. Cory knew that when Eric was home, he was usually sitting on top of the phone, and answered it in one ring, so he assumed no one was home, and just waited for the machine to pick up. "Eric, its Cor. Trouble in paradise again...Topanga's mad. She walked out like she wanted to kill someone...and this time, I almost hit her. I don't think I could have lived with myself if I had. Can you call me back as soon as possible?" Cory sighed, and hung up the phone. "I may as well go out for a walk...maybe it'll clear my head. He grabbed his jacket, and walked to the door. No sooner had he opened the door, than he was struck with the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. She was five-feet-six, with long black hair and brown eyes. No. He couldn't look at anyone else but Topanga like that. Especially now that there were already problems. He sighed, and glanced quickly at her nametag. "Bailey Sullivan..." he read. Why was he still staring at her? Did he not realize he had a wife? He couldn't just break up with Topanga anymore, like they constantly had in high school and junior high. Why was he even thinking of breaking up with her? He loved Topanga. He had since they were little. Somehow, though, this Bailey girl charmed him. He sighed, and walked past her. "I'll just pretend I didn't see her..." he thought to himself. "That almost worked with Lauren..." Cory referred to a girl he'd met in the mountains, that he had a long, interesting, late night conversation with, then kissed at the end of the night. He was almost past Bailey, when she spoke to him.  
  
"Excuse me..." she asked. "Aren't you Cory Matthews?"  
  
"Yeah..." Cory turned around. "How did you know?"  
  
"I heard that you and your wife, Topanga, have the perfect marriage?" she asked. "I think that's amazing. Just thought I'd tell you...I tried to tell Topanga a while ago, but she seemed to be in a hurry."  
  
"Thanks..." Cory lied. "What are you doing here anyway? Is this your apartment?"  
  
"Yeah, but I lost the key again. I need to call my friend, Hannah, since she always keeps my spare for me." Bailey laughed. "But, I left my cell phone in my purse inside."  
  
Cory laughed. "Wanna come use my phone? You can wait at my house for her to get here, too."  
  
"Really?" Bailey asked. "That's so sweet of you, thanks Cory. Lauren was right. You are one of the sweetest boys this world has to offer."  
  
"You know Lauren?" Cory asked.  
  
"Yeah, I just moved from Montana..." Bailey grinned. "Lauren was my best friend. You were all she could talk about for a week."  
  
Cory smiled. No wonder Bailey had intrigued him. Lauren was the second most amazing woman he'd ever met (second to Topanga of course), and Bailey was sure to be the third. "Same vice-versa...she almost wrecked my relationship with Topanga, though."  
  
"She wanted to..." Bailey sighed. "She wanted to take you from Topanga."  
  
Cory sighed. Every girl he'd ever liked had to have some huge fault. Topanga's, for instance, was her temper. Taking him from Topanga was obviously Lauren's flaw. "Figures," he opened his door.  
  
***  
  
Cory was wiping the counter, while Bailey sat and waited for Hannah. Bailey had offered three times to help, but Cory refused, figuring Topanga would already be mad enough that there was a girl in the house. He started to wash dishes, and was joined by Bailey.  
  
"There are a lot of dishes there. I figure it's the least I can do to repay you..." she smiled.  
  
"Thanks..." he smiled back. "Where does Hannah live, anyway?"  
  
"Apartment 2-C at the 'O Riley building." Bailey explained, wiping a dish with a wet rag.  
  
"My brother Eric lives in 2-D..." Cory grinned.  
  
"Oh...Hannah is always complaining about her noisy neighbor." Bailey laughed.  
  
"That'd be Eric. If he's ever quiet, something's dreadfully wrong..." Cory shook his head.  
  
"Yeah, that's what Han said. So, anyway, what's it like to be in the, like, model marriage?" she asked.  
  
"Well..." Cory sighed. "Sometimes things are a bit rough. But, we get through it, as would every other married couple."  
  
"That's so sweet..." Bailey was in awe. "I hope things are like that when I get married..."  
  
Why was Cory feeling like this toward someone else? He could only have this feeling toward Topanga now, but somehow, he liked her. He felt like he could tell Bailey everything. "Actually..." he took a deep breath. "Topanga and I have been fighting a lot. She tells me I think too much of my best friend, Shawn, and not enough of her. Which is true, but Shawn needs me. He's lost everything. His girlfriend, his dad, his mom...he feels like he's lost me too."  
  
"Wow..." Bailey listened closely. "I'm sorry, Cory. You need to tell her that. Have you?"  
  
"Yes, constantly. But she always says the same thing. 'Shawn's not married to you, I am.'" Cory mimicked.  
  
"I hate to break this to you, Cory. But you're gonna have to choose. Who's more important to you?" she asked. "Topanga or Shawn?"  
  
"Well, I love Topanga with everything inside of me, I really truly do. But Shawn and I have been friends all through Topanga's and my ups and downs." Cory ran his hand over his curly hair.  
  
"Well, just think about it." Bailey smiled. "I see Hannah out there, though. I'm gonna get outta here. Thanks a lot Cory, I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem, drop by anytime!" Cory smiled. He had a new friend in Bailey. He still wanted to hear back from Eric, though. Just for a second opinion. 


	2. Chapter Two: Starting Over

Eric had a goofy smile on his face. He was staring across the room at a girl he'd never seen before. She had long, blonde hair and green eyes, and she was as tall as Eric. The only other person he'd felt this for was Rachel Maguire, and that hadn't turned out in his favor. Eric and Jack Hunter (Shawn's half-brother) had a full out war to see who got Rachel's affection, and originally, Eric won. But then, after Shawn and Jack's father, Chet Hunter, died, Rachel felt either sympathy, or harbored feelings for Jack. So, much to Eric's despair, he walked in on Rachel and Jack kissing, after visiting his sick baby brother in the hospital one afternoon.  
  
Eric had never seen this girl before, and he wanted to find out who she was. He approached her, but as soon as he got within earshot, she stood up, and walked away. Eric made a ticking sound with his teeth and tongue, as if he were calling a cat.  
  
Noticing that people were staring at him, he grinned and spat out, "Cat calls..."  
  
Throughout an echo of sighs and huffs, he continued his journey to follow this mystery girl. He poked his head around the corner, looked to the left, then to the right, and was struck in the head with a window slamming on him.  
  
"OW! Dude!" Eric moved his head, and shouted at the next available person. "My HEAD was in that door!"  
  
"First of all, it was a window..." he heard the voice of an older, upper class woman, piercing through his ear. "And second of all, what were you doing with your head in a window?" she asked.  
  
"I was LOOKING for someone, thank you..." he rubbed his head, and walked toward the actual door. He tilted his head forward to say goodbye to the lady, and walked through the door, only to see that the mystery woman was gone. "Just my luck..." Eric rolled his eyes.  
  
He sighed, and walked home. He'd moved to New York City with Cory, Topanga and Shawn. Eric loved his new surroundings. So many new people that he'd never seen before. If Eric had one extremely redeeming quality, it was his ability to talk to people. He could always find something nice in people, even if there was nothing really visible to anyone else. And he had an inevitable ability to make people laugh or smile.  
  
Eric walked through his door, and looked around his apartment. It was a well lived in, one-bedroom apartment, with a couch, table, desk, television, computer, and a refrigerator in the front room. He walked into his kitchenette, and glanced quickly at his answering machine, to see that the light was blinking. He strolled over to it, and pushed the button.  
  
"Eric, its Cor. Trouble in paradise again...Topanga's mad. She walked out like she wanted to kill someone...and this time, I almost hit her. I don't think I could have lived with myself if I had. Can you call me back as soon as possible?" Cory came through the machine.  
  
"Topanga and Cory fighting again? Will it ever stop?" he asked himself.  
  
***  
  
Cory heard the phone ring. He made his way miserably across the room, and answered it. "Yeah?" he grumbled.  
  
"Cor?" Eric asked.  
  
"Oh, what's up, Eric?" Cory asked.  
  
"So, what happened with the wife?" Eric rolled his eyes, predicting Cory's next words.  
  
"The same, 'Cory, I'm your wife, not Shawn' crap." Cory sighed.  
  
"Cory, are you getting as sick of this as you sound?" Eric asked.  
  
"At times, yeah..." Cory replied.  
  
"I hate to sound repetitive, but as I ask you every time, do you think she's pregnant?" Eric nosed in.  
  
"No, I've gotten nothing for the past six months..." Cory complained.  
  
"Well..." Eric thought for a second. "I don't know..."  
  
"Eric...do you think we're gonna get a..." Cory could barely spit out the word divorce.  
  
"I hope not. If you do, I'll lose all faith in future relationships for you, Shawn and myself..." Eric explained.  
  
"I talked to my neighbor, Bailey Sullivan. She helped me a little. She said I need to choose who's more important to me. I don't know. I mean, Shawn is my best friend. Without him, I don't think I would have gotten this far with Topanga. Speaking of Shawnie..." Cory changed the topic. "Did you talk to him today?"  
  
"No, he's made himself pretty scarce lately..." Eric leaned against the corner of the wall, and used it as a back scratcher.  
  
"I know, he hasn't even called..." Cory looked at the clock. "I hope everything's ok between he and Angela..." Shawn's girlfriend, Angela Moore had recently moved to Paris with her father. But we'll get more into that later.  
  
"Me too..." Eric realized the possibility.  
  
"Listen Eric, I'm gonna let you go. I gotta call Shawn...you should stop in later or something..." Cory cut the call short.  
  
"Ok, see ya later little bro..." Eric hung up the phone.  
  
"See ya..." Cory hung up too.  
  
Eric walked outside the door, and just stood in the hall for a few minutes. Even though he looked like an idiot, something possessed him to stay. He stood there, when suddenly; he heard the door beside him shut abruptly.  
  
There she was! The mystery woman! Right outside his apartment! 'Whoa...' he thought.  
  
"Enjoying yourself?" she asked.  
  
"Huh? Oh, nah, not really. Just sitting here, aimlessly..." Eric pointed out the obvious, which he seemed to be very good at doing.  
  
"Brilliant observation." She looked him up and down. "So, what's your name, aimless stander?"  
  
"Eric Matthews," he held out his hand for her to shake. "You?"  
  
"Hannah Hansen." She replied, shaking his hand. "You live in the apartment right next to me, and I haven't met you yet?" she asked. "Kinda weird. How long have you lived here?"  
  
"About a month." Eric replied. "I moved from Philadelphia with my brother Cory, his friend Shawn and my friend Jack."  
  
"Cory? Cory Matthews? That's where I'm headed. My friend Bailey Sullivan locked herself out, and is spending a little while at Cory's, until I get there." Hannah told him.  
  
"Topanga's not gonna like that..." Eric rolled his eyes.  
  
"Topanga? What kind of a name is that?" Hannah asked.  
  
"I often ask myself that." Eric sighed. "Her mom..." He tilted his hand over his mouth, as to say 'she must have drank a lot.'  
  
Hannah laughed. "To come up with a name like Topanga? I guess so! I'll see you around, Eric."  
  
"See you..." Eric smiled. He watched her walk away, and smiled. He'd finally talked to his dream girl. And she was his neighbor. Things were gonna be great for him.  
  
***  
  
Jack Hunter had recently backed out on an opportunity to go into the Peace Corps with Rachel Maguire, causing them to stop being friends, and he had been feeling guilty as ever. Instead of joining, he'd moved with Cory, Shawn, Topanga and Eric to New York City. He'd been there a few times prior to moving, looked at a lot of things, and realized that there was so much for him there.  
  
If you set Cory and Eric, then Shawn and Jack into a room, and were asked which ones were related, you'd guess anyone but Shawn and Jack. Jack had always led a semi-charmed life. He had a rich step-father, and always had everything he wanted. He'd always had a girlfriend, with three or four other girls hanging off him, this being the only thing he really had in common with Shawn.  
  
Jack stared at the stop-light, waiting for it to turn green, so he could get home. He'd had a stressful day, and he'd really done nothing all through it. He'd just been thinking about Rachel a lot. She was the one who had always understood him, and aside from Eric, she was the only friend he'd ever really had. He was suddenly struck back into reality by the beeping of about three horns around him.  
  
"Move it, buddy!" a woman shouted through her window.  
  
"GET MOVING!" a guy yelled at him.  
  
"Ok, ok! Sorry!" Jack stepped on the gas pedal, and continued home. He was the only one out of all five of them that could actually afford a real house. He'd offered for them to stay with him, but they'd all turned it down, to be on their own. He smiled as he approached his house. "I made the right decision. There's more for me here..." he reassured himself.  
  
He walked through his door, and the first thing he noticed was his message light blinking. He walked slowly toward it, and pushed the button.  
  
"You have four new messages..." the voice came through. "Message one..."  
  
"Hey, Jack, it's Eric. Just wondering if you'd heard from Rachel at all. Call me, ok?"  
  
"Message two..." the answering machine voice came through.  
  
"Hey, Jack, it's Cory. I asked Eric for advice already, but you know how reliable he is. I kinda need to talk. Call me as soon as you can?"  
  
"Message three..."  
  
"Jack? Shawn. Call back, ok?"  
  
Jack was curious about Shawn's message. He pushed the stop button on his answering machine, picked up the phone, and dialed Shawn's number. He decided that since it took a lot to get Shawn up, he'd let it ring for awhile. It had rang about twelve times, and Jack gave up. He sighed. "You could at least be home..." he exclaimed as he hung up the phone.  
  
He pushed the play button to listen to the final message.  
  
"Message four..."  
  
"Jack? I hope I got the right number. I'm calling for your personal ad in the paper. I know, you're thinking most women who respond to there are really nasty, right? Well, I'm not. At least I don't think so. My name is Kady Jenkins. Call back at 453-8752, ok?"  
  
Jack laughed. "That was a mistake. I'll call back if I really need a date. And I mean REALLY need a date." He looked at his mail slot, and realized he had five letters sitting on the floor. He walked toward the door, and picked up the letters. "Bill, bill, junk, credit card..." he paused as he held the last letter in his hand. "Letter from Rachel..." he didn't hesitate anymore.  
  
***  
  
Jack,  
  
I've made quite a few friends here. I really wish you'd decided to join me. How is everyone? Is Eric still being a nut? I assume that'll never change. Listen...I know this is short, but I just wanted to have some contact with people I know, ok? See ya Jack.  
  
Rachel  
  
***  
  
Jack was overjoyed to finally hear from Rachel. He grinned, and walked into the living room, knowing that the rest of the day was going to be a breeze. 


	3. Chapter Three: Losing Grip

Shawn Hunter was about to go insane. He'd lost the love of his life, Angela Moore, who had moved to Paris with her father for the year. Shawn had to pretend he was happy for her, because Angela didn't want to leave Shawn behind, like everyone else had. His father died a few years ago, his mother abandoned he and his father when he was only three, he had lost Cory to Topanga, he felt extremely alone. He'd heard nothing from Angela since she'd left, so he assumed she had forgotten about him. He'd barely left his apartment, but to check the mail, because he was afraid that the moment he left, Angela would call.  
  
"I should have stayed in Philadelphia. I could have just went on living, even after Cory left..." he sighed. He wanted to hear from Angela so desperately. He had a feeling that she'd found someone in Paris that was a million times better than he was. "Not that it takes much..." he snuffed out a laugh. He walked across his apartment, and it seemed as though the darkness followed him. He realized he was walking along a long shadow, from his dresser. "I think you need to get out of this apartment, Shawn." He told himself. "You'll do a lot better somewhere else."  
  
He dragged himself off the couch, walked into his bedroom, and pulled on a brown shirt, with some sort of Japanese symbol on it. He grabbed a pair of black jeans from his closet, and traded them for the blue ones he was wearing. He sat on the bed, sullenly, and pulled on his black hiking boots, then walked to the door, threw on his leather jacket, and ran a comb through his brown hair. He looked around to see if he'd forgotten anything, realized he hadn't, shut out all the lights and left.  
  
It was a typical New York day outside, cars honking, sirens blaring, and the occasional side-alley mugging. Shawn couldn't take a deep breath there, without breathing in smoke, smog or exhaust. He hated it. That was the main thing he missed about Philadelphia. Aside from Angela, that is. Angela. His mind was back on Angela again. He was about to go insane. He glanced around, as though he was hoping to find something to take his mind off Angela.  
  
He looked to his right. There was a huge commotion around an apartment building. There were police officers and firefighters all around, trying to put out the fire in the seventh story apartment. Insensitive as it sounded, Shawn didn't care. He looked behind him. He saw three children, playing hopscotch on the sidewalk. Normally, he would have stopped and laughed a little, but today, there was no reaction. He looked in front of him. All that was there, was the hustle and bustle of the New York streets.  
  
He sighed, and looked to his left. He planned on looking right away, and continuing his walk. But, what he saw caught his attention for more than a moment. There stood group of seven guys, harassing one girl. Shawn hated seeing things like this. He glared glacially at the men, and stomped over. "Excuse me..." he tapped one of them on the shoulder.  
  
The girl was crying. She thought Shawn was another member of their harassing committee.  
  
"Are you okay?" Shawn walked into the middle of the crowd, and asked her.  
  
"Yeah, thanks..." she glared at the other guys, then smiled falsely at Shawn.  
  
"What is your problem?" Shawn asked them.  
  
"Is it any of your business?" one of the guys asked, in a thick New York accent.  
  
"Yeah, I think it is," Shawn stood his ground. If there was one thing Shawn Hunter was not, that was chicken.  
  
"It's his business now?" another thick accented thug asked his partner.  
  
"Get out of here, before I talk to that cop over there..." Shawn still glared at them all.  
  
"Oh, please. You've bitten off more than you can chew..." the group closed in on Shawn and the girl.  
  
"Is there a problem here?" a police officer walked over and asked.  
  
"No, not at all, officer..." the main thug smiled, nonchalantly. "We were just leaving..."  
  
The girl breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you, officer."  
  
"No problem, miss. All in a day's work." The officer smiled and walked away.  
  
"And thank you, whoever you are..." she directed her attention toward Shawn.  
  
"Shawn Hunter, and no problem." He explained, holding out his palm for a handshake.  
  
"Abigail McDaniel." She shook his hand. "I don't think I could ever thank you enough. I seriously thought I was toast."  
  
Shawn smiled. He'd definitely done his good deed for the day. "No problem, again. I'd want someone to do the same for me, so it's nothing. Listen, though. I have to get going. I hope to see you around town."  
  
Abigail sighed. "See ya Shawn. Thanks again."  
  
Shawn looked back around. Everything was basically the same, with the exception of Abigail, who was leaning against the wall, looking at the ground. Normally Shawn would have been sympathetic, and walked up to her to see what was wrong, but Angela had drained him of his sympathy. He just wanted to hear her voice. Was that asking too much of her? He sighed, and continued his walk.  
  
***  
  
Before long, he was in very unfamiliar territory. "Where the hell am I?" he asked himself. "I think I went too far..." he sighed, and turned around to retrace his steps back home.  
  
He looked around at everything he passed, and it seemed as though everything he saw made him think of Angela. 'What if she's with another man?' he asked himself. "I don't think I could deal with it..." he whispered.  
  
He stopped in his tracks, when he came to the corner where he met Abigail, and saw the same thugs, walking Abigail into the wall. He could feel his fists bunching up. He looked around for a cop, but rolled his eyes when he realized that everyone had gone home. The fire across the street was out, and everything, except Abigail and the thugs, was calm.  
  
Shawn felt his fists bunch up tighter than they ever had before. "Hey!" he threw one of the goons away from Abigail. "Didn't I tell you to leave her alone?"  
  
"Only, this time, there are no cops to save your ass..." the biggest guy threatened Shawn.  
  
Abigail closed her eyes. "Shawn, go. I can handle myself. I don't want you to get hurt on my account."  
  
"Shush Abigail. I'm going to help you." He whispered to her.  
  
"Whatever, it's a waste of time, anyway..." the muggers looked at one another.  
  
"Really, we should go." The leader of the pack gestured for his buddies to come along. "Later days, Abigail. We'll be sure your little watchdog isn't around."  
  
Abigail wiped a tear from her eye. "Thanks again, Shawn." She sighed, and started to walk away.  
  
"Where are you going? Do you want a walk home?" he asked, knowing that at the rate things were going, she was pretty unsafe on her own.  
  
"Really?" she asked. "Yeah...please?"  
  
Shawn smiled. "Of course."  
  
Abigail had never been so relieved to be in someone's company. She was terrified of that whole gang.  
  
"What do they want from you anyway?" he asked.  
  
"Take a wild guess..." Abigail looked him in the eye.  
  
"Really? Oh man..." he rolled his eyes. "Guys like that give the male species a bad name..."  
  
"I think you did a pretty good job of that without the help of Johnny and his thugs." Abigail giggled.  
  
"What? You think all guys are like that?" Shawn pretended to be shocked.  
  
"Every last one!" Abigail stuck her tongue out. "Shawn, I don't think I can thank you enough. Seriously, I think I would have been in a heap on the ground, if you'd come a second later..."  
  
"Then I'd have to carry you home, not walk you..." he looked at her. Shawn was captivated. He couldn't be though. He had to stay available, in case Angela called or wrote. "So, where do you live, anyway?"  
  
"I'm a daddy's girl. I live on 7th Avenue, in my dad's penthouse..." Abigail explained.  
  
"Ah," Shawn grinned. 'She definitely looks the part...' he thought. "I bet that's nice..."  
  
Abigail had long brown hair, which looked as though it had been done by an expensive stylist, bright blue eyes, and she was wearing a tight, black shirt, with a plaid skirt, that came two inches above her knee. "It's nothing special..." she shrugged. "I'd actually like to lead a normal life, though. I'd like my own apartment."  
  
"Believe me, you don't..." Shawn shook his head. "It's not easy."  
  
"I don't want the easy life..." Abigail shrugged one shoulder. "I don't want to be sheltered anymore..."  
  
"Would you like to trade places?" Shawn joked.  
  
Abigail laughed. "I wish. I bet you wouldn't last a week though."  
  
"And neither would you." Shawn smiled, at the thought of Abigail living in his one bedroom apartment. It was the first genuine smile he'd given in a month.  
  
"Here it is..." Abigail pointed at the fanciest building Shawn had seen in his entire life.  
  
"Whoa..." he looked at the building.  
  
"Wanna come in for a few minutes? You look hungry..." Abigail offered.  
  
"Will your dad mind?" Shawn asked.  
  
"He's never home, so, no..." Abigail ran her hand through her hair. 


	4. Chapter Four: Say It Ain't So

Cory sighed. It was two-thirty a.m. and Topanga still wasn't home. He leaned against the wall behind the bed, and stared at the wall. He was having a huge debate in his mind, over what Hannah had said. Topanga or Shawn? Which one was more important to him? Then his mind wandered to Bailey. He barely knew her at all, but he was still so captivated by her. How could this have happened? Was he actually beginning to love someone more than Topanga? No way! He didn't even KNOW Bailey! But then, there was love at first sight. He thought he had that with Topanga. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he'd been fooling himself for the past twenty years? About Topanga? No way! He loved Topanga, and that was that. But there was something nagging in the back of his mind, telling him that he needed to give Bailey a chance. How could he feel like this for someone he didn't even know? That was that, he needed to talk to Shawn.  
  
He sighed, picked up his phone, and dialed Shawn's number. Much to his surprise, Shawn actually picked up.  
  
"Hello?" Shawn was laughing.  
  
"Shawnie?" Cory asked.  
  
"Hey, Cor, what's up?" Shawn asked.  
  
"I need some advice..." Cory sighed.  
  
"Sure, what's up?" Shawn listened.  
  
"It's about Topanga..." Cory slouched. "And a new girl that I met...named Bailey..."  
  
"It's not another Lauren case, is it?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Actually, no, this time I think I know what I have to do, it's just not coming easy, that's all..." Cory explained. "I seriously think I'm falling out of love with Topanga, and into love with Bailey..." Cory laughed at how childish he sounded.  
  
"Really?" Shawn asked, now curious. "How'd you get to that?"  
  
"Topanga was ranting on and on about the usual 'you're not married to Shawn' argument," Cory sighed. "And I just got so mad, I almost hit her. I almost did, but I didn't."  
  
Shawn was shocked. "Whoa..." he stuttered.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking..." Cory sighed. "And then, I met Bailey. She made me smile, and laugh even. I don't know...I'm really confused."  
  
"Listen, Cor," Shawn thought for a second. "I've thought about you and Topanga a lot lately, too. That is, when Angela's not taking me over...and well," Shawn hesitated. "Topanga's changing, Cor. And it's not a good change, either." Suddenly, Shawn burst out laughing "Abigail! The NOODLES are boiling over!" he yelled.  
  
"Who's Abigail?" Cory asked.  
  
"A girl I met...I'm gonna put you on speakerphone, Cor. She's trying to cook oodles of noodles, and they're boiling over..." Shawn laughed, and walked over to help Abigail clean up the water.  
  
Cory was shocked. Shawn was actually talking to someone else. And he didn't like that it was a girl...and not Angela. "Who cooks oodles of noodles at two in the morning?" he asked.  
  
"Me!" Abigail's voice came through the phone. "You must be the infamous Cory Matthews?" she asked.  
  
"Whoa, I'm infamous now, Shawnie?" Cory asked Shawn. "That's cool! Who, may I ask, are you?"  
  
"Abigail McDaniel...pleasure...to...uh...meet you?" she laughed.  
  
"Likewise," Cory shook his head. "So, Shawnie, heard from Angela?"  
  
"Who's Angela?" Abigail asked.  
  
Shawn sighed. "No, Cor...I'll tell you later, Abigail..."  
  
"Angela is Shawn's girlfriend..." Cory explained.  
  
Shawn slouched, and closed his eyes.  
  
"Oh..." Abigail smiled fakely. "That's cool...where is she?"  
  
"Paris..." Shawn took a deep breath.  
  
"Oh, Shawn, I'm sorry...how long?" Abigail asked.  
  
"A year..." Shawn was obviously less than thrilled to be talking about Angela. "So, Cor...back to Topanga...what do you think you should do?"  
  
Cory thought for a second. "Do you think I should file for divorce?"  
  
Abigail butted in. "How long have you been married?" she asked.  
  
"Twenty years..." Shawn exclaimed with a chuckle.  
  
"A year and a half." Cory told her.  
  
"Do you know that your problems are unavoidable?" Abigail seemed resolute on helping Cory.  
  
"Kinda yeah...she wants me to pick between her and Shawn." Cory explained.  
  
"Oh..." Abigail sighed. "Well, no one could tear up a friendship, and really call themselves a loving wife..."  
  
Shawn marveled at Abigail's caring nature.  
  
"So, you think I should?" Cory asked.  
  
"It sounds like a possibility. What do you think Shawn?" Abigail asked.  
  
"I'm kinda biased on this..." Shawn shrugged. "I mean, I'd understand if he chose Topanga, but you know..."  
  
Cory frowned. "Thank you Abigail. I'm a lot clearer as to what I have to do now..." he knew that Topanga wasn't going to take this sitting down, but he needed to get a divorce.  
  
***  
  
"WHAT?" Topanga screamed. "Why? Did SHAWN put you up to this?"  
  
"No, actually, he really had nothing to do with it." Cory explained. "His friend Abigail helped me make the right decision."  
  
"Abigail...McDaniel?" Topanga's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Yeah...how do you know her?" Cory asked.  
  
"She almost took my internship..." Topanga scowled. "And now she's trying to steal my best friend's boyfriend?"  
  
"Angela is letting go of Shawn on her own..." Cory protected his friend. "I already filed the papers, Topanga. I'm going to stay with Eric."  
  
"Speaking of Eric, what does he think of this?" Topanga didn't seem phased.  
  
"Why isn't this bothering you?" Cory asked.  
  
"Because I filed for divorce yesterday!" Topanga shouted. "I'm SICK of having to do EVERYTHING and you not even getting the gumption to get a job!"  
  
Those words went through Cory's chest like a knife. He had always been loving and loyal to Topanga. He knew that he was filing for the same reason, but he never thought she would. Without another word, he left the house, with his bags in his hands, and the first person he saw was Bailey.  
  
"Cory?" Bailey asked. "Are you ok?"  
  
Cory set his bags on the floor, and sat down. "Both Topanga and I filed for divorce..." he sounded like he was still taking it in.  
  
"Oh, Cory..." Bailey hugged him. "Come on into my apartment for a little while...you need to cool down."  
  
Cory looked at Bailey. "I was on my way to Eric's house..."  
  
"Just wait a little while. Call him and tell him you'll be a few minutes..." Bailey led him inside and handed him the phone.  
  
Cory could already tell, even through all his heartache, Bailey was going to be very helpful through everything.  
  
***  
  
Eric had been spending a lot of time with Hannah. They always went to each other's apartments, and talked about everything. Today, they'd spent the whole day together. Eric was falling fast and hard into love with her, and vice versa.  
  
Eric stuck two straws up his nose, and two on his teeth. "Look, I'm a hairy nosed walrus!" he quickly pulled the straws out of his nose. "Ouch...that hurt..."  
  
"Eric, you're an idiot..." Hannah shook her head. "You don't have to constantly be funny, you know. I know I said your sense of humor is attractive, but I also like seeing someone's deep side. "Or their sensitive side..." she smiled, and pointed at Cory, who was sleeping on the couch.  
  
"He was going through a really tough time...I couldn't just leave him upset..." Eric shrugged. "I know he wouldn't do that to me, so it's the least I could do."  
  
"I feel so bad for Cory, though. Did you think that was it, with he and Topanga, I mean?" Hannah asked.  
  
"I did, up until two months ago. Topanga started getting really possessive, and really antsy about everything Cory did." Eric explained. "And, she would have a complete freak attack if he left a little bit of grease on the table, or something. But, he loves her, so he put up with it, for the longest time."  
  
"I feel terrible. Maybe there's something we can do to help him feel better..." Hannah suggested. "Bailey seems to care about him..."  
  
"Yeah, he seems to trust her, too. I think we should just let the future take it's course." Eric smiled. "It'll all work. I know it."  
  
"Eric, can I tell you something?" Hannah asked.  
  
"You know you can..." Eric smiled.  
  
"I think I'm starting to like you...like...a lot. I mean, I think you are the most adorable being on this planet, and you are so funny." Her face became a little red as she explained this to him.  
  
Eric looked over his shoulder for someone else in the room. "Me? You mean...Eric Matthews?" he asked.  
  
"Well yeah...no, I'm talking to your shadow..." Hannah rolled her eyes. "Come on...just come out of Eric-mode for a couple seconds?"  
  
"I do that when I get nervous..." Eric shrugged. "Yeah, I'll come into the real world..." he laughed. "I like you a lot too. I mean, all the time we've spent together lately, I'm growing kinda fond of ya, kid..."  
  
"Kid?" Hannah narrowed her eyes. "If I'm a kid, then what are you?" Secretly, she was overjoyed that Eric felt the same way. She had no idea what to say to acknowledge it, though, so she joked with him.  
  
"I'm a BIG boy!" Eric beamed, with an idiotic smile on his face.  
  
Hannah couldn't help but laugh. The childish side of Eric was what really captivated her. She couldn't help but love a guy who could go through all the things he had, and still have an amazing outlook on life. "You're so adorable..." she shook her head.  
  
"Why do you always shake your head at me? Are you condescending me?" Eric gasped, playfully.  
  
"And what if I am?" Hannah asked, playing along.  
  
"Then I'll cry..." Eric sniffed, pretending to cry.  
  
"And?" Hannah grinned.  
  
"You don't care?" Eric asked.  
  
"Of course I do, I just want you to be normal for about three seconds in your life..." Hannah shrugged.  
  
"And that's not gonna happen." Eric smiled. "I know not the meaning of normal!" he recited, as though he were quoting Shakespeare.  
  
"It's not in your vocabulary huh?" She shook her head again, falling more in love with him with each passing second. She couldn't tell him that yet, because she wasn't sure how he felt, considering he kidded around the subject, and plus she wasn't sure how long it would last. 


	5. Chapter Five: One Step Closer

AN: This is gonna be a really long chapter, because I really have more ideas for Shawn and Abigail than anyone else. If you're reading this story mainly for anyone else, hold your damn horses. I'll get back to them as soon as I can. Ciao for now Oh, and by the way, chapters 1, 2, and 3 have been updated.  
  
***  
  
Abigail and Shawn were walking through Central Park, late at night. It was kind of breezy, in an eerie sort of way, making the trees sway back and forth, and make noise against the walls around the zoo. But neither Shawn nor Abigail noticed. They were too wrapped up in conversation.  
  
"Cory is kinda weird like that," Shawn shook his head, after telling Abigail the story of how he and Cory freaked out, upon hearing the news that Cory was moving to New York. "But then, Topanga got sick of his whining, and let me join them."  
  
"I bet you were whining just as much..." Abigail smirked at him. "Come on, I know you two must be inseparable, to even give Topanga the thought of taking you to New York with her. She just doesn't seem like the type to do a favor out of nowhere..."  
  
"She's actually not..." Shawn shrugged. "Maybe she just felt obliged, since Cory would whine for the rest of their natural lives, if she didn't."  
  
"So, do you think it was a good decision that you came?" she asked him. "I mean, are you liking it here so far?"  
  
"Yeah, it's cool, I guess. Kinda smoggy, and everything, but the people seem pretty nice. With the exception of the whole thug gangs and crap." Shawn elaborated.  
  
"Yeah, if those people are nice, you or I must be, like, angels or something." Abigail laughed. "I hate to ask this question, and if it's a sensitive subject, don't answer me, but what's the deal with Angela, anyway?"  
  
"Ugh..." Shawn closed his eyes. "It's ok, I'll answer you. She and I went through a lot, and just when I thought things were finally going great between us, I get the news that her father wants to take her to Paris. I mean, I didn't want her to go or anything, but I couldn't just tell her not to go. I never got to spend that much time with my father, and I couldn't deny her that privilege."  
  
"Oh," Abigail frowned. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked..."  
  
"Don't worry about it..." Shawn shrugged. "It's in the past."  
  
"Have you heard from her?" Abigail asked.  
  
"No..." Shawn was on the verge of tears. "Maybe she's just happy there...she deserves to be, so it's ok."  
  
Abigail looked sympathetically at him. "To let someone like you pass her by, Angela must have been insane. Maybe she'll come back, and take you back. Then you can be happy together..." the thought of losing Shawn, even though she didn't have him technically, depressed Abigail deeply. She tried not to show it though.  
  
"Maybe," Shawn sighed. "But I bet there are men all over her there now..." he stopped when he heard his beeper go off. "Who could this be?" he asked himself. "Ugh, Cory..." he held it in his hand. "What could he possibly need? I have to take this...I'll be back...I'm just going to use the phone..."  
  
"Ok," Abigail smiled. "Take your time..."  
  
It was dark at night and Abigail was leaning up against the gate to the zoo. It was taking longer than it should have taken, and she was getting antsy. She got a feeling in her stomach, and started to feel like something bad was about to happen. She looked over her shoulder, feeling as though she was being watched. Was someone in the shadows behind her? What emergency could Cory have had, that would take Shawn so long to resolve? She knew that Cory was important to Shawn, but he knew that she was nervous when she was alone. She needed him to be there. Why did he even carry a beeper in the first place? All of these thoughts were flashing through her head, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice. She sighed. It was probably just her imagination getting carried away. But, the voices got closer and louder. Maybe this was one of those really weird hallucinations that her shrink had told her about. Maybe it represented something. But, then again, these voices sounded too real to be hallucinations.  
  
"Yeah, Ronny, and when we find them, we'll take them for all they've got." A high-pitched voice rang from around the corner. She recognized it as Johnny Lopez, one of the thugs that harassed her. "Those runts will wish they'd never been born."  
  
'I feel like I'm in a really bad '50s movie...' Abigail thought. 'Johnny, Donnie, Ronny...what about Frankie or Joey?' she asked herself, hugging close to the corner.  
  
It was then when she saw with her own eyes what was coming at her, that she got really nervous. She saw the whole group walking in her direction. It was as if they were making a beeline for her, even though she knew that they didn't know she was there.  
  
"Who's that? Is that who I think it is?" Joshy, one of the other thug boys, asked.  
  
Abigail stupidly poked her head around the corner. 'What did I do that for?' she asked herself. 'Maybe they didn't see me...'  
  
"Is it Abigail? Without her little watchdog?" Donnie asked.  
  
Abigail attempted to make a run for it, only to be seized by the arms, by Ronnie and Davey.  
  
Johnny leered. "We were just talking about you. Aren't we glad we caught you while you are still here?"  
  
"That makes one of us," Abigail snidely remarked. "I'd like to get out of here if you don't mind."  
  
"Oh but we do..." Donnie sardonically exclaimed. "Where is the watchdog anyway?"  
  
"Not here thankfully." Abigail replied.  
  
Johnny slowly approached Abigail, sneering all the way. But before he could touch her, Shawn rounded the corner, and saw the whole scene. Anger flushed through his whole body, his fists tightened, his eyes narrowed and he forcefully attacked Johnny with a series of punches.  
  
In a heartbeat, all of Johnny's thugs with the exception of Ronnie and Davey (who still held Abigail's arms) were on top of Shawn, attacking him.  
  
"SHAWN!" Abigail screeched, and fought to get away from Ronnie and Davey. "Let me GO!" she screamed. "LEAVE him ALONE!" she screamed at Johnny, Donnie, Joshy, Jamie and Jake. "GET OFF HIM! SHAWN!" she pulled away from Ronnie and Davey, and fought her way past the rest of them. "Get OFF him! Shawn? SHAWN?!" she screamed, pushing each thug off, one by one. She finally got to Shawn, who was lying in a heap on the ground. "Shawn?" she whispered. "Shawn, are you okay?" she asked, gently rolling him over.  
  
"What about you..." Shawn groaned out. "Are you ok?" he asked gently.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine..." she wiped blood from his cheek. "Why did you do that?"  
  
"Motivation, I guess..." he closed his eyes for a second. He could barely open his right eye. "Did I do what I was trying to, though?"  
  
"What were you trying to do?" Abigail asked.  
  
"Protect you..." Shawn gasped out. "Did I succeed?"  
  
"Yeah..." Abigail smiled. "You did...are you gonna be ok, while I go call the hospital?"  
  
"Are they gone?" he asked.  
  
She looked around. "I think so...maybe I should bring you with me, just in case..."  
  
"No, don't worry...ouch, shit!" he winced in pain, trying to sit up. "You go ahead, I'll be fine here for a couple of minutes."  
  
"But I don't want to leave you. What if they come back? I couldn't bear to see you hurt anymore. It already hurts me to see you like this." She sounded like she could cry at any second.  
  
"Just hope they don't. Seriously, just hurry, I'll be fine." He said as he carefully and slowly tried to sit up again.  
  
"Let me help you move to a safe spot before I go..." She scanned the area, searching for a place where he could rest without being spotted by Johnny if he decided to come back. "Right there by the gate is a shadowy spot...try sitting there. I don't think they'll see you, and if they do, by then I'm pretty sure I'll be back."  
  
Shawn grinned a little at the compassion of his new friend. She reminded him a lot of Angela. Why, even when faced with a total angel, did his mind suddenly track back to Angela? He didn't know, but he knew that it had to end soon. Either Angela had to come back, or he had to find out where she was and break it off, because he couldn't handle much more of it. As Abigail carefully escorted him to the shadowy spot, his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking of what Angela could possibly be doing. Was she in a bistro, sipping coffee, with some French 'Jean-Pierre,' who was three times the man Shawn would ever be? How could that thought even cross his mind? Angela loved him, and that's all there was to it.  
  
"Are you gonna be okay?" Abigail asked.  
  
"I'll be fine..." Shawn smiled at her. "Thanks, Abigail..."  
  
"No problem..." she was worried. She hated seeing someone she cared about in even the smallest trace of pain, and someone she cared about as immensely as Shawn? Being in pain, on her account? She felt terrible.  
  
Shawn watched Abigail walk away. He went into deep thought. In the condition he was in, all he could really do was think. He was starting to feel so deeply for Abigail. But, he couldn't. He didn't want to love anyone but Angela. He'd spent so much time believing Angela Moore was the one for him. Too much to let it all go for a girl he'd just met. But should he throw his chances with Abigail away, just to be with Angela? Or vice versa? He sighed as deeply as his tired lungs would let him. If Angela came back, he might act impulsively, and make the wrong choice. If he did, would he ever be presented with an opportunity with Abigail again? Maybe he should just make the best of what time he did have with her. But then, would Abigail even want to be his friend afterward? Could he risk that?  
  
"The ambulance is on the way, Shawn..." Abigail sat beside him, talking softly, assuming he had a headache.  
  
"Thanks a lot..." he was still deep in thought. "Abigail...I have a question..."  
  
"Sure, go ahead..." Abigail replied.  
  
"What if, hypothetically speaking, you and I got really involved," Shawn got nervous. "And then Angela came back...what would you want me to do?"  
  
Abigail bit her bottom lip. "Well, first I'd have to know, hypothetically speaking of course," Abigail reassured him. "How much you love Angela..."  
  
"Well, I'd more than likely say that I'd do anything at all for her. I would have gone with her to Paris if she asked me..." he told her.  
  
"Well, then, hypothetically, I'd say I want you to go with her. If you love her that much, I'm not worth the risk." Abigail lied.  
  
"You're not, or the relationship isn't?" Shawn asked.  
  
"A little bit of both..." Abigail shrugged.  
  
"You are..." he told her. "And the relationship is...would be...too."  
  
Abigail knew he caught himself. "Still speaking hypothetically, of course." She rescued the 'hypothetical' conversation, knowing Shawn spoke more comfortable that way.  
  
Shawn smiled at her, as widely as he could without hurting himself. There was something special about Abigail. That, he couldn't deny. And he couldn't control the feeling that was coming over him. He was falling in love, and it wasn't with Angela. But, he also got the feeling that something was about to happen, which would change even his friendship with Abigail. He got that thought out of his head, and decided to stick with the original plan to make the best of the time he did have with her. 


	6. Chapter Six: Hospital Infomercials

AN: Ok, now I'm going to start with my original plan. What I'm gonna do, so you all know, is use Shawn and Abigail as my main characters, and have little side plots with Cory and Bailey, Eric and Hannah and Jack and Kady. I just thought giving each person a separate chapter would be easier. Damn was I wrong. PS: Would you all do me a huge favor? If you see a mistake in my writing (not spelling and grammar, just, like names and stuff) tell me in a review? Because, I originally had Bailey with Eric and Hannah with Cory. Ok, now. If that note wasn't too confusing for you, I'll get to the story now.  
  
***  
  
Shawn woke up in a cold sweat. He'd never had such a realistic dream in his life. He and Abigail were taking a walk in Central Park, talking and having fun, when all of a sudden, Johnny and Angela walked up to them, and tore them apart. He sighed. "Get a grip, Shawn. You're losing your mind." Knowing he'd never get back to sleep, he grabbed the remote, and flicked on the TV. "Infomercials. Yay..." he rolled his eyes. "Ooh, look, it's the set it and forget it guy!" he clapped his hand. "What the..." he looked at the bandage on his left hand. "Oh yeah..." he looked around, remembering what had happened the night before. "Whoa...I slept right through the day?" he asked himself. He reached up to rub his eyes and winced in pain. "No way...not a black eye!" he grumbled. He heard stirring in the chair on his right.  
  
"Huh?" Abigail groaned. "Oh, hey Shawn. How are you feeling?" she asked, looking toward him.  
  
"I forgot what happened, until I went to rub my eyes..." he shrugged at Abigail. "Do I still have all my teeth?" he kidded, smiling wide.  
  
"Yes, Shawn..." Abigail laughed. "They're all there and pearly white. Ooh...it's the set it and forget it guy!" Abigail clapped.  
  
"My exact reaction..." Shawn laughed. "I used to idolize him, back in Philadelphia when I lived in the trailor-park..." he nodded. "I tried to convince my dad to buy me one of those rotisserie ovens."  
  
"I was always partial to the Orange Clean dude." Abigail grinned. "When daddy's gone on business trips, all I really have to do is watch TV, so I watched all those infomercials and stuff."  
  
"Eh, the orange clean guy is ok, but the set it and forget it guy's really cooking!" Shawn punned. "Get it?"  
  
Abigail rolled her eyes. "That was bad, Shawn..." she shook her head. "That'd be like me saying 'yeah, but the orange clean guy CLEANS his clock...'" Abigail returned the pun.  
  
Shawn laughed and shook his head. "So, when can I get outta here?" he asked.  
  
"The doctor said you'd be ok to go day after tomorrow..." Abigail told him. "I convinced them to let me or Cory stay, too. I know how creepy it can get in the hospital alone..." she sympathized.  
  
"I have to choose one of you?" he asked. "Not fair!"  
  
"I'd completely understand if you chose Cory. He is your best friend..." Abigail smiled.  
  
"Well, it takes quite a bit to get Cory to actually do me a favor, so I choose you!" Shawn tried to wink at her. "Damn it, now I can't ever wink! Let's try that one again.well, it takes quite a bit to get Cory to actually do me a favor, so I choose you!" he flashed her the notorious Shawn Hunter grin.  
  
Abigail went weak at the knees, at the sight of that grin. Unable to speak, she just smiled at him. She took a deep breath, and when she could finally speak again, she whined, "Don't use that grin!"  
  
"Why not?" Shawn asked, pretending to be clueless to the effect of 'the grin.'  
  
"Because...I asked you to?" she smiled.  
  
Shawn smiled. "I'll save it for when I WANT to make you weak in the knees, ok?" he stuck out his tongue at her.  
  
Abigail was falling deeper in love by the second. She hated it, because she'd never felt like this before, and she knew that she could lose Shawn at any moment, if Angela came back. She didn't want to lose him. Not after falling so quickly. Somehow, she felt it was right, even through such a short time with him. She sighed deeply, set her hands on the side of the bed and turned her gaze to the TV.  
  
Shawn mocked her sigh. "What ya thinking about, Abigail?" he set his un- bandaged right hand on top of her left hand.  
  
She couldn't tell him. She didn't want to get his mind back on Angela, because she knew the topic depressed him, deeply. "I...just feel bad about you being in the hospital and everything..." she lied, not taking her eyes off the TV.  
  
"Don't be afraid to tell me the truth..." Shawn moved his hand, and turned her face to his, then placed it back onto her hand.  
  
"I don't know, Shawn...I don't think it's a good idea..." she half-smiled.  
  
"Go ahead. I don't care." He encouraged her.  
  
"It's about Angela..." Abigail looked at him, wondering if he'd stop her. Instead, he just looked at her, waiting for more. She took a deep breath through her nose, then continued. "Please don't make fun of me...but I don't want to lose you...er...what we have...when she comes back..."  
  
Shawn thought for a second. "Abigail..." he half-smiled, too. "I know what you mean. That's been bugging me, too. But, I've made the decision to just make the best of what time we do have. We'll see what happens." He held her hand.  
  
That wasn't what Abigail wanted to hear. But, then, it was better than what she expected to hear. She just nodded, and turned back to the TV.  
  
"I do like you a lot, Abigail. I'm just not ready to commit to anyone...anyone who isn't Angela, that is..." Shawn put it as sensitively as he could.  
  
It wasn't sensitive enough for Abigail, though. "I'll...be back..." Abigail stood up, and walked to the bathroom. She locked herself into a stall, and started to cry. "I wish I knew this Angela chick, so I could talk some sense into that head of hers. If I can't have Shawn, I want to know soon!" she stopped for a second. "Or, should I say, I want to know when I have to give Shawn up..." She sucked it up, rinsed her eyes with cold water, to get rid of the red, breathed a deep sigh, and returned to Shawn.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked, watching her walk back into the room.  
  
"Yeah..." Abigail lied. "I just had to pee..." she joked.  
  
Shawn laughed. "Did it all come out ok?"  
  
"Yep," Abigail smiled. 'I wonder if he can tell...' Abigail thought. 'I'm trying not to make it too obvious, but it's not easy. Whenever I'm around him, I just want to kiss him. Am I in love?' she asked herself. 'Not yet, I just like him a lot...' she closed her eyes, and glanced at his wristband- nametag. 'Hunter, Shawn Patrick...Shawn Patrick Hunter...Abigail Autumn McDaniel-Hunter...Abigail, get a hold of yourself.' She shook her head abruptly, grabbed her bottle of Vanilla Coke off the table, and took a sip.  
  
'I wonder what Angela's doing right now...' Shawn thought. 'I mean, what amazing things has she seen? I still have yet to hear from her, so they must have been quite amazing...' he sighed, then looked over at Abigail. 'She's so amazing. Maybe the reason I'm not chasing this opportunity is because I know she can do better than what I can give her...'  
  
Abigail stared at the floor. She loved Shawn with all her heart, and deserved him, way more than she thought Angela did. Sure, they had history. But that's just what it was, history. The past. So, why couldn't he let it go? I guess she couldn't just expect to waltz into his life, and take him over. But, she also didn't think she deserved to be cast aside like an old pair of shoes. Whatever the case was, she loved Shawn, and there was nothing she could do about that.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Cory poked his head into the hospital room. "Shawnie?" he asked. "Did I get the right room?"  
  
"Hey Cory, hey new people I don't know..." Abigail whispered.  
  
"Eric Matthews..." Eric laughed.  
  
"Jack Hunter..." Jack nodded a hello.  
  
"Hey Eric...hey Jack, I'm Abigail McDaniel." She smiled. "Nice to meet you. Wait a second...Jack Hunter? Related?" she asked Jack.  
  
"He's my half-brother..." Jack replied. "You couldn't tell could you?"  
  
"Not by looks, anyway..." she shrugged. "What about you? Are you guys brothers...cousins, what?" she asked, directing her attention to Cory and Eric.  
  
"Brothers, yeah," Cory laughed. "Can't you tell?"  
  
"Yeah, that's why I asked..." Abigail smiled.  
  
"How's trailor boy doing?" Eric asked. He had always referred to Shawn as trailor boy, because of his background. Shawn accepted it, though, because he knew Eric was kidding.  
  
"He's sleeping. Can you all wait here, though? I'm gonna go get something for us to eat." Abigail told them.  
  
"Sure..." Cory replied, whispering. "By the way, Bailey and Hannah are out there waiting for you..."  
  
"Oh, cool. It's been a couple days since I've talked to them...you want something to eat?" Abigail asked. "I'm going to the cafeteria...so I doubt it..." she laughed.  
  
Cory laughed too. "Well, I'd like something to drink if it's not too much to ask...a Pepsi would be nice..."  
  
"I'll just steal some of his..." Eric smiled at Abigail. "Thanks anyway..."  
  
"No thanks, I ate on the way here." Jack told her.  
  
"Ok, cool. I'll be back..." Abigail slipped out the door, and walked to the cafeteria.  
  
"She's taking pretty good care of Shawn..." Eric nodded.  
  
"That's only because it's her fault he's in here..." Jack scowled.  
  
"No it's not, Jack. Shawn protected her on his own free will..." Cory defended Abigail. "And we all know Shawnie...once his mind is set on something, he does it."  
  
"Ack, my ears are ringing..." Shawn opened his eyes. "Oh, hey guys. When'd you get here?"  
  
"A couple seconds ago..." Cory told him.  
  
"Where's Abigail?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Yo, trailor boy! She's in the cafeteria, getting lunch..." Eric explained. "She seems sweet..."  
  
"She really is." Shawn smiled. "She feels so guilty about this, she's waiting on me hand and foot..."  
  
"Rightfully so," Jack rolled his eyes.  
  
"Hey Jack, and no, Abigail has no right to feel guilty. I could have chosen to leave her there, but I didn't." Shawn explained.  
  
"When Angela comes back, you're going back to her, right?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yeah...and Abigail understands that..." Shawn told Jack. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't like her..." Jack explained. "She seems..."  
  
"Nice." Eric glared at Jack.  
  
"Sweet." Cory glared too.  
  
Jack huffed, and sat in the back of the room. "I just don't like her."  
  
"So, Cor..." Shawn changed the subject, because he felt anger filling him again. "What's going on with you and Topanga?"  
  
Cory frowned. "The divorce papers have been filed..." he wanted to cry.  
  
"Oh..." Shawn felt bad. "Cor, I'm sorry...who filed for it?"  
  
"Well, both of us..." Cory sighed. "But Topanga did first. I'm ok, though. Bailey has been here for me unconditionally. She's great..."  
  
"She seems it." Shawn smiled. "So..." Shawn got nervous about Cory's whole divorce topic. He felt guilty, because the whole reason they got divorced was Cory and Shawn's friendship. "Eric...what have you been up to?"  
  
"Not much, I mean, I'm hanging out with Hannah a lot." Eric smiled. "She's really cool."  
  
***  
  
"Yeah, he seems to really love Angela. I'm gonna try not to get too close to him. I don't want my heart broken." Abigail already looked like she was about to cry.  
  
"Not that it's not already..." Hannah knew Abigail better than anyone else in the world. "Abigail, you can't just let him get away...let him know how you feel..."  
  
"No." Abigail sighed. "Listen..." she felt tears coming to her eyes. "I can't tell Shawn that I'm falling in love with him. He wants Angela, he can have her. He deserves to be happy."  
  
Cory walked out to see Bailey, and before turning the corner, listened to Abigail. "You're falling in love with Shawnie?" he asked, coming around the corner, behind Abigail.  
  
"Which one is it?" Abigail asked, freezing in position.  
  
"Hey, Cory..." Bailey looked at Cory. "Don't tell Shawn that, ok?"  
  
"I wouldn't do that..." Cory reassured Abigail. "Don't worry. But you should tell him. If you really do love him, you'd do anything to get him..."  
  
"This coming from the man who wanted Shawn to have nothing to do with me in the beginning..." Abigail glanced curiously at Cory.  
  
"Well, you seem to make Shawn happy." Cory smiled. "And Angela is making him miserable right now."  
  
Abigail sighed. "I don't want him to be miserable. He deserves to be so happy. But he wants Angela back so badly. I do love Shawn. And it scares the life outta me."  
  
"Abigail..." Hannah shook her. "You NEED to tell Shawn. He might stay with you, even if Angela comes home!"  
  
"NO!" Abigail screamed. "Cory, take this to Shawn, please? And tell him I just needed to get some air." She handed Cory the plate she was going to bring to Shawn, and walked off in a rush. She sat outside on a bench, watching the cars go by. She looked at the sky, and sighed. "Remind me never to fall in love again..." she wiped a tear from her cheek. "Especially not if he's tied down." 


	7. Chapter Seven: Foodfight!

Things were going to get no easier for Abigail, though. It had been two weeks, and she'd been distancing herself from Shawn more each day, just in case Angela came back. She didn't want to get too attached to him, then lose him. But, she was getting lonely. And she missed him a lot. She missed the company. But she wasn't going to call him. If he missed her, he'd call her.  
  
She sat in bed, in her pink, heart pajamas, and wrote in her diary.  
  
***  
  
Dear Diary;  
  
Hey. I'm just going to get straight to the point, today. I miss Shawn. I miss our conversations, and I miss the way he makes me feel. But, then, I don't miss the times he makes me feel invisible. I want him to love me like he loves Angela. But, that'll never happen. I just want him to he'd call me. Just to have contact. I could be dead, and he wouldn't know. He hasn't even made an attempt to call me. And damn it, I'm about to go crazy.  
  
I have to say this somewhere, before I go insane. I have fallen completely, totally, utterly and fully in love with Shawn Patrick Hunter. For God's sake, I was sitting with him in the hospital, imagining how my name would sound, if I married him. Abigail Autumn McDaniel-Hunter...it sounds nice. Angela...whatever...Moore-Hunter. No. I don't like that. I need help. I'm outta here. See ya.  
  
Abigail  
  
***  
  
She sighed, as she closed her diary, and walked to the kitchen. "Anything good for dinner, Jeffrey?" Abigail asked the butler.  
  
"Yes, we have chicken cordon bleu for you, Miss McDaniel." Jeffrey, Abigail's butler, explained to her.  
  
"Thanks, Jeffrey," Abigail sat at the table. She'd been eating chicken cordon bleu for the past three weeks, but hadn't said anything, to be polite.  
  
***  
  
Shawn sat on his couch, in his gray sweatpants, thinking about Abigail and Angela. He hadn't talked to Abigail in three days, and was getting lonely and bored. He wanted to call her, but he was afraid she was avoiding him. He tried to sort everything out in his head, only to confuse himself more. He leaned back, and stared at the TV. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself, out loud. "I men, I get this feeling as soon as I give myself to Abigail, Angela will come home. I don't ever want to hurt Abigail. She's way too amazing. I don't know..." he sighed. "I'm gonna call her..."  
  
***  
  
Abigail looked around the dining room, miserably. She'd be fine, she just had to get over Shawn. Just as she sat down, the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" Jeffrey answered. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, Miss McDaniel isn't taking calls right now. May I ask who is calling please?" he paused to write a name down. "Ok, Master...Hunter? Just tell her...it was...Shawn?"  
  
Abigail jumped up. "WAIT Jeffrey. I'll take this one! Hold on!"  
  
"Ok, Miss McDaniel." Jeffrey answered. "Just a moment, she'll take your call." He told Shawn.  
  
Abigail ran up the stairs, and picked up her phone. "Ok, Jeffrey, you can hang up now." She told him, then waited for the click of the downstairs phone hanging up. "Shawn?" Abigail asked, after the heard the click.  
  
"Hey, Abigail." Shawn sounded lonely. "Where have you been lately?"  
  
"Waiting for you to call me..." she spoke softly. "I thought Angela had come back, and I was just a memory..."  
  
"No way." Shawn explained. "I've been sitting in the house, hoping you'd call me."  
  
Abigail frowned. She didn't want to give in to temptation, but she had to. "Shawn, would you like to come over?" she asked.  
  
Shawn smiled. "I'd love to." He missed Abigail terribly. "I'll be over in a few minutes, ok?" he asked.  
  
"Sure," she smiled. It was nice to have him so happy to see her, but she knew when he saw Angela, his reaction would be a million times that. "I'll see you in a few, ok?"  
  
"See ya!" Shawn seemed overjoyed. He changed out of his sweatpants, into baggy, black jeans, an army green, short sleeved, button-up shirt, tan work boots, and his favorite silver chain. He put his silver watch on his right wrist, since his left hand was still in bandages. He quickly ran a comb through his hair, then, let it fall into a messy part. He sprayed on some cologne, grabbed his leather jacket, shut off the TV and lights, and walked out the door.  
  
***  
  
Abigail sat on the bed for a few seconds after getting of the phone with Shawn. "What did I just do? I gave in..." she sighed to herself. She stood up and walked to the stairs. "JEFFREY...Shawn is coming over!" she yelled down the stairs.  
  
"Ok, Miss McDaniel. Do you want me to call you when he gets here?" Jeffrey asked.  
  
"Nah, just send him up here. Tell him to knock though..." Abigail walked back into her room, and fished through her closet for a good outfit. A green, flowered peasant top, flared blue jeans, with the bottoms covered in beaded roses, and a pair of chunky black boots, with a silver flame pattern coming up the side. That'd do. She tossed her hair into two braids, put on some raspberry-rain body spray, clasped on her silver heart locket, and waited on her bed for Shawn.  
  
***  
  
About ten minutes had passed, when Jeffrey paged Abigail's intercom. "Shawn Hunter is on his way upstairs to see you, Miss McDaniel."  
  
Abigail sighed, but flashed a smile. "Send him up..." she turned on the TV, and waited for Shawn to come up the stairs.  
  
Shawn knocked on her door. "Abigail?"  
  
"Coming..." she walked to the door. She opened the door, and led Shawn in. "Welcome to my humble...room..." she laughed.  
  
Shawn looked around. "This is nice..." he felt out of place. Abigail had everything in one room that he had in his whole apartment. As a matter of fact, her room was the size of his apartment.  
  
"Thanks...have a seat..." she told him. "Make yourself comfortable..."  
  
Shawn felt out of place. "Thanks..." he sat on the love seat.  
  
"You look uncomfortable..." Abigail tilted her head to the side a little. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I feel out of place here..." Shawn laughed. "Little trailor boy, hanging out with the beautiful rich girl?"  
  
"Oh, please..." Abigail smiled at Shawn. "For one, you're not a trailor boy. The stereotypical 'trailor boy' wouldn't WANT to hang out with the rich girl. Well, maybe they'd want to, but they wouldn't be caught dead hanging with her."  
  
"This is true..." Shawn grinned. "Most of the people I knew back at the trailor-park made fun of people like you..."  
  
"That's what I thought. Second of all, you're not rude. You're very polite and considerate." Abigail told him. "And third, you don't live in a trailor anymore."  
  
"Ah, so now I'm apartment boy?" he asked, with a chuckle.  
  
"No," she shook her head, and laughed a little. "You're Shawn..." she sat beside him.  
  
"Oh, I don't wanna be that..." he shook his head.  
  
"Yes!" she shoved his shoulder. "I like you being Shawn..."  
  
"Well, being Shawn has gotten me this far in life. I suppose Shawn's not that bad a guy..." he grinned.  
  
"He's not!" Abigail sat beside him. "If he was, he couldn't make me weak in the knees with just a grin..." she stuck her tongue out at him.'  
  
"Like this?" he flashed his notorious grin.  
  
"SHAWN!" she pushed him. "Don't do that! That's not fair!"  
  
"What's not fair? The fact that I can make you turn into jello?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she pouted. "Hey...are you hungry?"  
  
"Kinda," Shawn shrugged. "Why?"  
  
"Wanna go downstairs and make something to eat?" Abigail asked. "All Jeffrey can cook is chicken cordon bleu, or else I'd ask him, but I've had chicken cordon bleu enough in my lifetime..."  
  
Shawn laughed. "Sure," he replied, standing up. "What are we gonna make?"  
  
"That depends, what are you in the mood for?" she stood up too.  
  
"Why do you think I asked you?" he asked.  
  
Abigail shook her head. "How about pizza?" she asked, throwing her hair into a messy bun.  
  
"Sure," he fixed his bandage.  
  
Abigail walked down the stairs, to see Jeffrey, dusting a statue. "Jeffrey, we're gonna make a pizza. You want some?" she asked.  
  
"No thank you..." Jeffrey looked bored.  
  
"How long has it been since he's had a day off?" Shawn asked Abigail, in a whisper.  
  
"Oh, God..." she thought about it for a second, then said, "About a year...you think I should give him the night off?"  
  
"It'd be a nice gesture..." Shawn shrugged. "I'm sure he'd appreciate it..."  
  
"Hey, Jeffrey..." Abigail smiled. "Would you like the night off?"  
  
Jeffrey looked shocked. "But, Miss McDaniel, who'll stay here with you?" he asked.  
  
"Shawn will, right Shawn?" she looked at him.  
  
"Yeah, of course!" Shawn smiled. "You deserve a night off, man..." he slyly walked up to Jeffrey. "You can go to Broadway, scope out some of the rich babes...who knows, maybe you'll come back with a new girlfriend..."  
  
Abigail laughed. "Yeah," she said. "Go out, have some fun!"  
  
"Are you sure?" Jeffrey asked.  
  
"Oh yeah, definitely!" Shawn grinned. "You need some you time..."  
  
"Well, ok..." Jeffrey put the duster down. "I'll be back tomorrow..." he didn't even bother to change, and just walked out the door.  
  
Shawn laughed. "That was pretty cool..."  
  
"Now, about that pizza..." Abigail walked into the kitchen. "Crust, sauce, cheese, pepperoni, want anything else, Shawn?"  
  
"Mushrooms and bacon?" he asked.  
  
"Ok," Abigail took out the mushrooms and the bacon bits. "You get started flattening, while I slice up the mushrooms, ok? Here's the flour to put on it..." she took out a couple mushrooms.  
  
As soon as she started slicing a mushroom, Shawn took it upon himself to start a food fight. "Have some pizza sauce!" he shouted, chucking a handful at her.  
  
She scoffed. "Shawn!" she reached for the first available food item to throw at him. "Ah, flour!" she took a handful, and threw it at Shawn.  
  
"Oh, that's it..." Shawn sneezed. "You're done!" he lifted the huge jar of pizza sauce over Abigail's head.  
  
"No!" she took a step back. "Ha!"  
  
Shawn lowered the jar down, and threw more sauce at her, as though he was emptying out a bucket outside. "Take that!"  
  
"AAH!" Abigail was dripping with sauce. "Shawn!" she screamed. "Uh oh...but now you're outta ammo!" she grabbed a handful of flour.  
  
Shawn pushed her hand toward her, making her throw the whole bag of flour at herself. "Why'd you do that?" he asked her, innocently.  
  
Abigail spit out flour. "Gross!" she reached for the fridge door, to get something else to throw at him. "Hmmm..." she grabbed a container of chocolate syrup, and a can of whipped cream. "Beg for forgiveness...and it had better be good, too!"  
  
"Uh..." Shawn thought for a second. "Abigail is the best person in the world, and I know she would NEVER throw chocolate syrup and whipped cream at me?" he tried.  
  
"Nah, not good enough..." she attacked Shawn with the whipped cream and chocolate syrup.  
  
"UNCLE! UNCLE!" he shouted. "Come on, Abigail! I said uncle!"  
  
"Ok, ok, I was just having fun..." she stuck her tongue out. She stood up, and as soon as her back had straightened, Shawn stole her can of whipped cream.  
  
"Ha!" he shouted. "Now what are you gonna go?"  
  
She slid on the ground, where pizza sauce had dripped off of her. "I'm gonna..." she thought. "Throw cheese at you!" she grabbed the bag of cheese. "Ooh, a cheese sundae!" she laughed.  
  
Shawn put down the can of whipped cream, and wrapped his arms around Abigail. "You look even prettier with pizza sauce and flour dripping off you..." he ran his fingers through her hair.  
  
"And that chocolate syrup compliments your eyes..." she stuck out her tongue. "Shawn...what are you going to wear?" she asked.  
  
He hadn't thought of that. "I have no idea..." 


	8. Chapter Eight: I Will Bring The Rain

After going outside, and cleaning off with the hose, they decided to order a pizza (considering all the ingredients were on their clothes), and pick it up on the way back from Shawn's house.  
  
Abigail had changed into a long, blue patchwork skirt, a white, tie- shoulder, tank top, with 'dream-girl' written on it in diamond-studs, and black, platform, slip on boots.  
  
"I'm never gonna look at whipped cream the same way again..." she laughed.  
  
"Me either..." Shawn smiled, unlocking his door. "That was fun, though."  
  
"Yeah it was..." Abigail smiled, wondering if Shawn was thinking about Angela.  
  
For once, he wasn't. His mind was totally on Abigail. She looked beautiful, and he'd had more fun with her than he'd ever had with anyone. He smiled at her. "I'll be right back, make yourself comfortable..." he squished into his bedroom, in his wet work boots.  
  
Abigail looked at a picture on his table. "This must be Angela..." she flipped it over. 'To my Shawnie baby, Yours always, Angela,' she read. "Lucky you..." she sighed, and set the picture back on the table.  
  
Shawn walked out of his bedroom in a pale blue, short sleeved, button up shirt, with a wife beater underneath, baggy blue jeans, and black combat boots. He stopped in his tracks when he saw his poetry notebook, sitting on the table in front of Abigail. "You...didn't read that...did you?" he asked, nervously.  
  
"Of course not." She reassured him. "I wouldn't do that without asking you."  
  
"Thanks," he sat beside her, and continued wrapping the fresh bandage he was putting on. "Those are pretty private..."  
  
"It's ok," Abigail smiled. "I write a lot too..." she nodded. "And, I don't show anyone either..."  
  
"I might just bring this with me..." Shawn grabbed the book, and set it on top of his sweatpants and t-shirt that he always wore to bed, and the outfit he'd chosen for the next day. "Never know when I'll get inspired..."  
  
"Yeah..." Abigail sighed. She'd never written a poem until she met Shawn. He'd made her reach deeper into herself, and find emotions no one could find before.  
  
"Shall we go?" he stood up.  
  
"Sure..." she stood up.  
  
***  
  
It was a very silent car ride. It was almost as if someone had emptied Abigail's brain, and taken all the sweet things she wanted to say to Shawn away from her. She wanted to tell Shawn that she couldn't live without him. She wanted to tell him that her heart was breaking, and she couldn't stand knowing that he didn't want her the way she wanted him. She ran her hand through her hair, and watched the cars go by.  
  
"Abigail, are you ok?" Shawn asked. "You seem, kind of...distracted..."  
  
"Huh?" Abigail looked at Shawn. "Oh, I'm just thinking. You know how hard that is for people like me..." she winked. "It is too quiet in here, though. What do you say to a little music?"  
  
"Sure..." Shawn smiled at her. "You like Incubus?"  
  
"Yeah, they're my favorite band." she nodded.  
  
"Mine too," Shawn pushed the Incubus CD into his CD player.  
  
Abigail tuned out the music, and kept thinking. What if she'd never have Shawn? What if Shawn and Angela were really meant to be?  
  
"Do you want me to go in and get the pizza?" Shawn asked.  
  
"I'll go, if you wanna stay here..." Abigail shrugged. "I don't care."  
  
"I'll go in..." Shawn stood up. "I'll pay for it too..." he took his last bit of cash out of his pocket.  
  
"I can pay for it..." Abigail told him.  
  
"I know, I just want to..." Shawn smiled at her.  
  
"Ok..." Abigail closed her eyes, and went into deep thought again.  
  
***  
  
Abigail sighed. Shawn was sitting on the love seat in her room, writing in his poetry book, with a piece of pizza in front of him. It was as though he was in his own world, not even noticing she was there. She stood up, and walked out onto her balcony.  
  
Shawn looked up, just to look at Abigail for inspiration, and saw her out the window on the balcony. 'What's she doing out there?' he asked himself. He walked to the door, and listened. His heart practically broke in two when he heard her crying. "Abigail..." he walked up to her. "Abigail, are you ok?" he hugged her to him. "What's the matter?"  
  
"You wouldn't understand..." she cried. "Or, you would, but you'll be mad at me..."  
  
"I could never be mad at you, Abigail..." Shawn touched her cheek. "Please tell me?"  
  
"Promise you're not gonna get mad at me?" Abigail asked.  
  
"Have I done something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"No..." she sighed. "Well...kinda, yeah. But, just promise you won't get mad at me...?"  
  
"I won't, I promise," Shawn looked concerned. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I...I kinda feel like you're playing with my heart..." she looked into his eyes. "I mean, I know you care about me. But then, you love Angela, and you're waiting for her. I'm not saying that's wrong. Because it's not, I mean, I think it's really sweet. But I just wish you would choose. I don't want to make you choose me, because I want you to be happy. But, I just wish there was something I could do to sway your choice." She paused. "I love you, Shawn. And losing you, I feel, would be like losing part of me."  
  
Shawn was overwhelmed. Not even Angela had said anything like that to him. He pushed a stray strand of Abigail's hair behind her ear, and said, "Abigail, it's not that I don't love you. You are amazing, and I do love you. But, yes, I'm waiting for Angela. I don't want to choose, because you and Angela are both the most amazing women I've ever met. I've been so scared that Angela would find someone new. I think that's the reason I'm not acting on my feelings for you. Because I'm afraid that as soon as I do, Angela will come back, and then I'll choose her, and hurt you even more. I never want to do that, Abigail."  
  
She started tearing up again. "I know, and that's so sweet. For that whole reason, and don't take this the wrong way, but, for that reason I wish I'd never met you."  
  
"I'm glad we met," Shawn smiled. "I know that if Angela doesn't come back, I never have to worry about being alone."  
  
Abigail looked a little upset. "Is that all I am?" she asked. "A way not to be alone, if Angela doesn't come back?"  
  
"No, Abigail. I didn't mean it like that at all..." Shawn ran his fingers through her hair. "You are the most amazing person I've ever met."  
  
"Except Angela..." she sighed.  
  
Shawn sighed. "Abigail," he wrapped his arms around her. "You have to understand..." he touched her hair. "I mean, you don't know this, but Angela and I broke up about a year before she left, because she was afraid she'd leave me, or I'd leave her. The only one able to get us back together was her father. I don't want her to be right. I don't want to leave her. But, I don't want to hurt you either. You deserve to be happy, too. I don't think both of us can be pleased, this time..." he sighed.  
  
"So, should it be over before it starts?" Abigail asked.  
  
"Well, no..." Shawn pulled her close. "What if Angela doesn't come back?"  
  
"I feel like you're using me, Shawn..." she looked at him, hurt.  
  
"I'm not, Abbi..." he shook his head. "I couldn't do that to you..."  
  
"Can you, like, clarify how you feel? 'Cause I'm getting mixed signals..." Abigail half-smiled.  
  
"What do you mean, how I feel?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Like, do you feel the same as I do, or not?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I do..." he shrugged. "But..."  
  
"I know, please don't say it..." Abigail looked away from him.  
  
"I still wanna spend as much time together as we can, though. This feeling is so strong..." Shawn kissed her forehead.  
  
"It'll hurt so much more, Shawn..." Tears streaked Abigail's cheeks. "I mean, I do love you, so much. But I really hate this feeling I have in the pit of my stomach that something is going to go wrong..."  
  
"Abbi," Shawn pulled her to him. "Look at me..."  
  
Abigail turned her head toward Shawn, but wouldn't look into his eyes. She faced her eyes right above his, so it looked as though she was looking into them. "What?" she sounded angry. "What is it?"  
  
Shawn was a little surprised at her tone. "Abbi, what's wrong?" he asked. "Did I do something?"  
  
"Figure it out, genius!" she pushed away from him. "I just poured my HEART out, and you don't even GET it!" she screamed, still crying. "Damn it, Shawn..." she fell to the ground in tears. "Why can't I have what Angela has over you?" she asked. "That's all I want..."  
  
Shawn stood Abigail up. "Abigail, look at me..." he held her forearms. "You wanna know the real reason I'm not going further with this?" he asked, getting frustrated.  
  
Abigail looked at him. "Yes..." she scowled.  
  
"Because you deserve better than I can give!" he had an angry look on his face, but compassion in his eyes. "Abigail, you are amazing. You're...practically perfect! I can't give you anything."  
  
"Shawn..." Abigail sniffled. "You can..."  
  
Shawn interrupted. "No. I can't. I can't give you anything, Abigail, and you deserve the world. You deserve someone who can take you places, and show you the world..."  
  
"I've seen the world, Shawn. I've been places, done things a lot of people will never do. I don't want to go places. I hated Spain, and Japan scared the shit outta me." Abigail explained. "I just want someone who can sympathize with me, and who'll love me for who I am, no matter how stupid I act. I don't want anything fancy. If I want that, I can ask my dad. All I need is someone to talk to!"  
  
"And I'm not being that right now. I'm being callous and uncaring. Maybe you should just give it up." Shawn scowled, walking toward the door to go back in. "You'd be a lot better off."  
  
"There's something I don't understand here..." Abigail looked confused. "You're not willing to pursue a relationship with me, but with Angela...you are? If you think you can't give me anything, you can give the same amount to her..."  
  
"That should tell you something about my feelings for you, Abigail..." Shawn went inside.  
  
It was a bittersweet moment for Abigail. Shawn had just told her that he loved her more than he loved Angela, in fewer words, but at the same time, he was leaving her. She had no idea what to do. For the first time in her life, she felt completely powerless. She always thought she had a pretty good handle on things, but everything Shawn did made her weak. "Shawn, please don't go..." she followed him inside.  
  
"I'm not," he sat on the couch, and started writing again. "I just can't stand out there much longer..." he spoke in monotone. "Needed to write a couple things down."  
  
"Oh..." she sat on the bed. She felt like crying again. She'd just screwed things up with Shawn, without even knowing it. Slowly and drearily, she walked back out onto the balcony, and just stared out at the ocean. 'What am I doing?' she felt like screaming. 'I can't believe this...' she sat there for twenty more seconds, with nothing on her mind, and then, screamed, and started to cry again. She was wondering if Shawn was even worried. She sat against the outside wall of the house, staring at the stars.  
  
Shawn was worried, but he had to keep up his callous façade, just until Abigail lost interest. No matter how long it took. He couldn't let her settle for someone who didn't deserve her, no matter how much it hurt him. She deserved the world, and if he had it his way, she'd get it. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Goodbye Angela/Eric's Plan

AN: I originally had something in the plot for Angela, but I think I'm gonna change that this chapter. I have a new plan, so yeah. Hope you likey.  
  
***  
  
Shawn stared at the letter in his hand. He had just returned from getting the mail, and all he received was a letter with his address in the corner, and no return address on it, just 'Angela,' written in pink. He nervously opened it, and read.  
  
***  
  
"And he just sat there, and didn't spare me a passing glance again all night..." Abigail was sitting in Eric's apartment, talking to Eric, Hannah, Cory and Bailey. "I don't know, I mean, I know I messed things up. I just thought I deserved to know what the real situation was..."  
  
"You did..." Cory explained. "Shawn will get over it. Believe me, if anyone knows Shawn Hunter, it's me. He'll get over it." He reassured her.  
  
"What if this is the one time that he doesn't?" Abigail asked. "I mean, what if Angela comes back, and takes him away from me forever?"  
  
"If he said he loves you more than Angela," Bailey looked curious. "Then why would he go with her over you?"  
  
"Because he feels like he has nothing to give to me..." Abigail shrugged. "I told him that he has everything I want, but he won't listen to me."  
  
"It's kinda tough to listen in that position..." Hannah shrugged. "I mean, he says he loves you, and he means it. He wants you to have the world."  
  
"He left his jacket at my house, and I meant to bring it over to leave for Cory to give to him. I think maybe my subconscious left it there on purpose, because I want to see him again." She laughed at the fact that she sounded like a psychology class.  
  
"Do you want me to call him and tell him, later or something?" Eric asked.  
  
"Nah, I'll call him..." Abigail sighed. "So, anyway, enough about me..." she focused her attention to Bailey, Cory, Hannah and Eric. "What have you guys been up to?"  
  
Bailey shrugged. "I've been spending most of my time with Dingy here..." she said, pointing to Cory.  
  
"Oh, gee, now I'm Dingy..." Cory shook his head. "Nice..."  
  
Abigail laughed. "What have you guys been doing?"  
  
Cory sighed. "She's helping get through the divorce, and everything..." (AN: Thanks to Emma for correcting me about that...go back to Chapter Six, and see the conversation between Cory, Shawn, Eric and Jack, to see that I fixed it.)  
  
"Oh, Cory, I'm sorry..." Abigail frowned. "I totally forgot about that. If you need anyone to talk to, please don't hesitate to call me. I'm sure Bailey is doing great, but you never know when you'll need another friend."  
  
"Thanks, Abigail. That's a very nice gesture." Cory smiled. "And I will, too. I'm sure Bailey's about sick of me anyway."  
  
"Not really," Bailey grinned. "You are always making me laugh."  
  
"I think, 'lil Miss Sullivan has a thing for 'lil Mr. Matthews..." Abigail laughed.  
  
"Me?" Eric sat beside Hannah. "Aw, I know I'm special, thanks!" he flashed a goofy grin.  
  
"The other Mr. Matthews..." Hannah smacked Eric's arm.  
  
"My daddy?" Eric played.  
  
"Eric!" Hannah and Abigail yelled in unison.  
  
"Oh...you mean Cory?" Eric asked.  
  
Bailey kicked Eric. "Shut UP Eric!" she yelled.  
  
Abigail smiled. She was gonna be fine. With these people as her friends, she couldn't go wrong. Cory was sweet, Eric was goofy, Hannah had been her best friend almost all her life, and Bailey was one of the funniest people she'd ever met. She could get over Shawn. There'd be nothing to it, nothing at all. All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Eric was busy washing the counters, and Abigail was the closest to the door, so she offered to get it. "Want me to get it Eric?" She asked, walking to the door.  
  
"Could you?" Eric replied. "Thanks, Abbi."  
  
"Not a prob," she stood up. She opened the door, and her heart sank a mile. It was Shawn. "Oh...uh, hey Shawn..." she said, uncomfortably.  
  
Everyone paused. There was an echo of gasps and clearing throats, then everyone went back to their business.  
  
"Hey," Shawn walked in. "What's up?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable as well.  
  
"Oh, uh...I was just...leaving..." Abigail cleared her throat as well, and pulled her coat off the coat-rack. "See ya everyone. Bye Shawn..." she waved to everyone in the room. "Remember, Cory, call if you need anything."  
  
"Thanks, Abbi," Cory smiled.  
  
"See ya, Ab..." Eric half-smiled.  
  
Abigail left, and as soon as she shut the door behind her, she took a deep breath. "There's the problem with having them as friends...close encounters of the Shawn kind..." she walked down the stairs to her car.  
  
"So," Eric asked. "What have you been doing?"  
  
"Nothing," Shawn hung his coat on the rack. "Did...uh, Abbi say anything about me?" he looked around the room at each face.  
  
"Uh, no..." Bailey lied.  
  
Shawn sensed the falseness. "What'd she say?" he asked.  
  
"She..." Cory sighed. "She told us what happened."  
  
Shawn put his hands in his pockets. "Is she mad at me?"  
  
Hannah shrugged. "No, not that we could tell." She stood up. "She seemed a little upset though."  
  
"I can understand that..." Shawn nodded. "She looked a little uncomfortable seeing me at the door..."  
  
"Obviously..." Hannah told him. "Wasn't that the first time you guys had seen each other since this all went down?"  
  
Shawn half-smiled. "Yeah," he remembered the smile on Abigail's face when they were in the food fight. 'She deserves to smile like that all the time, and I can't give her that,' he reminded himself. 'I'm doing this for her...' he nodded once. "Is she handling it ok?"  
  
"She's strong. She'll be fine," Hannah nodded her head.  
  
Eric grinned, and grabbed Hannah's arm. "I need to talk to you..." he pulled her into the bedroom.  
  
"Uh...ok?" Hannah was unsure. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
"Plan!" he held up his pointer finger. "I have a plan!"  
  
"Uh oh..." Hannah had often heard that Eric Matthews plans were very scary things.  
  
***  
  
Shawn handed Cory the letter. "Read this aloud. Then you'll get why I'm so...not myself...today, aside from everything with Abigail, that is."  
  
Cory looked at Bailey for reassurance. "Ok..." he took the letter, and unfolded it. "Shawn," he read. "It's been so long. I mean, I know it's partially my fault, but we need more contact. Anyway, how is everyone? Cory? Topanga? Jack? Eric? I need updates...oh wait...no return address...never mind..." he paused. "So, anyway, Paris is amazing, it's so beautiful, and everything here dazzles me. Which brings me to the point of this letter, Shawn. I have to tell you a few things that are going to hurt a lot. My father informed me that after we leave Paris, he's going to Madrid. You remember me saying that Madrid was one of the places I really wanted to go? So, I'm going to go with him. It's my choice, and I know you'll think it's ok. Plus, one more thing...one of the Sergeant's sons, Bryan Davidson. I think I'm falling in love with him, Shawn. I hate to do this to you, but I really have to break it off. Please don't take it the wrong way, because you are still one my most valued friends. But, I just really am starting to love Bryan." Cory stopped, and looked over at Shawn, and noticing that he was on the verge of tears, sighed. "Well, I'm going to end this right now. See you sometime. Angela." Cory put the letter on the table. "Shawnie..." he hugged Shawn. "Are you gonna be ok?"  
  
"After realizing that I messed things up with Abbi for something that I was just holding on to, and then coming to grips with it," Shawn shrugged. "I was fine. But then, seeing Abbi a few minutes ago," he pointed out the door. "Made me lose it again."  
  
***  
  
"So, what's this genius plan of yours, Eric?" Hannah asked.  
  
"Ok, you know I work at the zoo, right?" he asked.  
  
"Uh oh..." Hannah shook her head. "Yeah..."  
  
"Well, there's three empty cages, that aren't open to the public yet..." Eric grinned.  
  
Hannah's jaw dropped. "So...you're thinking..."  
  
"Got a better plan?" Eric asked.  
  
"No...but even if this was a good idea, which it's not," Hannah rolled her eyes. "How would we get them into the cage?"  
  
"I could call them to help me unload them, and you could be there, then we could 'inadvertently' push them in!" he grinned.  
  
"Of all the half-witted plans I've heard in my lifetime, this one is the most...original..." Hannah sighed. "If I go along with this plan, and it backfires, it's NOT gonna be blamed on me..."  
  
"Sure it will, but I'll take the blame off you..." Eric kissed Hannah's cheek. "It'll be fine!"  
  
***  
  
"Jeffrey, do me a favor? Knock me in the head? Really hard..." Abigail fell to the couch.  
  
"Why, Miss McDaniel?" he asked. "Something wrong?"  
  
"I saw Shawn..." she put her chin in her hand, and her elbow on her knee.  
  
"I thought you and Master Hunter liked each other..." Jeffrey looked confused.  
  
"We fought..." Abigail turned on the TV, and saw a 'set it and forget it' commercial. "Strange how when you miss someone, the smallest thing will make you think of them..." she changed the channel.  
  
"What happened, Miss McDaniel?" he asked. "You know, you never tell me these things anymore...you used to call me your personal diary, remember?"  
  
"Yeah," she turned her attention to Jeffrey. "Do you really wanna know?"  
  
"Always," Jeffrey nodded.  
  
"Well," she started explaining. "Shawn was writing in his poetry book on the couch, and I went out to the balcony. I was thinking about him, and how his ex-girlfriend, Angela, powered everything he did, and I started to cry. He came out, and asked what was wrong, and I explained it to him. Then, he told me the real reason he didn't want a relationship with me was because he couldn't give me anything. I tried to tell him he gave me all that I wanted, but he wouldn't listen. We argued a little bit, but he still stayed the night. When I woke up in the morning, you were home, and he had left..."  
  
"And, now you aren't talking?" Jeffrey asked.  
  
"I saw him at Eric's, but I left, because I knew it's be uncomfortable..." she shrugged.  
  
"I'm sorry, Miss McDaniel. I'm sure things will get better..." Jeffrey smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Jeffrey." Abigail turned back to the TV. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Love Will Find A Way

Hannah looked around the zoo. "Eric, how did I let you talk me into this? If my best friend dies, it's on your head..." she scowled.  
  
"Shawn wouldn't...and couldn't...hurt her physically..." Eric shook his head.  
  
"That's nice to say...although he is scrawny..." Hannah laughed. "But, Abigail is a freaking toothpick."  
  
"If she's a toothpick, than what are you?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"A big 'ol tree!" Hannah held her arms out.  
  
"Oh, right..." Eric nodded. "You're a tree...uh huh...if you're a tree, then what is Topanga?"  
  
"ENOUGH with the COMPARISONS...Eric!" she stomped. "Let me have some fun!"  
  
"Oh, here comes Shawn..." Eric pointed.  
  
"Oh, what's my line again?" Hannah asked.  
  
"Ha ha..." Eric mocked. "'When's Cory getting here?'" he repeated her line to her.  
  
"Oh, right..." Hannah nodded. "Why did you write a script to begin with?" she asked.  
  
"For my lovely line forgetter!" he kissed Hannah's cheek.  
  
"That's me, right?" Hannah beamed.  
  
"Hey trailor boy, what's up?" Eric asked Shawn.  
  
"Hey, when's Cory getting here?" Shawn asked.  
  
"He stole my line!" Hannah yelled.  
  
"Line?" Shawn raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Uh..." Eric thought. "She's obsessed with that line you're standing on...long story..." he shook his head.  
  
"Uh, sure..." Shawn stepped off the line. "Here ya go, Hannah..."  
  
"Thank you..." Hannah was on the verge of laughing herself to tears.  
  
"Now, as I was asking, when is Cory getting here?" Shawn asked again.  
  
"Cory's not coming...he went somewhere with Bailey..." Eric lied. "We called someone to replace him."  
  
"Who, Jack?" Shawn asked.  
  
"No..." Eric shook his head.  
  
Hannah was about to die laughing.  
  
"What is so funny?" Shawn asked. "Did I miss something?"  
  
"Everything's great, Shawn..." Eric explained. "Thanks for coming, by the way..."  
  
"No problem..." Shawn shrugged.  
  
Abigail walked around the corner. "Hey Eric, hey Hannah, hey...Shawn...?" she raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Abigail?" Shawn asked. "Eric..." Shawn looked at Eric.  
  
"I needed the help...those cages are heavy man!" Eric complained.  
  
"Whatever," Abigail sighed. "I'm fine with it, if you are, Shawn."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Shawn shrugged.  
  
"Your jacket is in my car, by the way. I've been meaning to bring that to you..." Abigail told him.  
  
"Thanks," Shawn spoke as little as possible. "So, Eric, what do you need us for?"  
  
"These three cages...you and Abigail get the side by the door, and Hannah and I will get the other side..." Eric explained.  
  
"Ok," Abigail nodded. "I'll get the one over here," she pointed to the end closest to her. "Ok, Shawn?"  
  
"Fine," Shawn nodded.  
  
As Shawn was walking by the door of the cage, Eric pushed him in quickly, and grabbed Abigail by the arm, and pushed her in too, slamming the door behind her.  
  
"Eric!" Shawn ran to the door. "Let us out of here!"  
  
Abigail followed Shawn. "Come on, Eric! This isn't funny!"  
  
"We'll let you out when you're happily kissing and in love again," Hannah explained.  
  
Abigail shook the bars of the cage. "ERIC! HANNAH!" she yelled. "Come on!"  
  
Eric and Hannah pulled a blue tarp over the cage, filling it with a blue glow. "See you later," Eric yelled.  
  
"Just great," Shawn kicked the wall.  
  
"Gee, thanks Shawn. You act like you just lost something important to you..." Abigail took offense.  
  
"Is this very dignified, Abigail?" Shawn threw his hands into the air. "Excuse me if I find my self-respect very important to me!"  
  
"Well, excuse me!" she scoffed.  
  
"Don't get that attitude with me!" he raised his voice.  
  
"What are you gonna do?" Abigail put her hands on her hips.  
  
Shawn sat down. "Nothing." He scowled. "Absolutely nothing."  
  
"So, we're just going to sit here, silent?" Abigail asked. "And then never speak to one another after we leave?"  
  
"If you want it that way," he tilted his head. "Then, it's fine with me."  
  
"I'd really prefer not," Abigail looked at him. "I still care about you, Shawn."  
  
Shawn ignored her comment. "What have you been doing?" he struck up a conversation instead.  
  
She sniffled back a tear. "Hanging out with Jeffrey..." she felt the tears welling up. "I saw a 'set it and forget it' commercial...it made me think of you..."  
  
There wasn't a thing that didn't make Shawn think of Abigail. Even ice cream made him thing of her, because of the food fight. "Really?" he laughed. "Hey, you know you didn't have to leave Eric's yesterday..."  
  
"I did..." she nodded. "It's too..." she stopped. "I just did, ok?" she knew in her mind that he didn't care.  
  
Shawn frowned. He still cared so much about her, and he wanted to take her in his arms, and make all the pain go away. "Uh..." he thought. "I got a letter from Angela..."  
  
"Great," Abigail pretended to be happy.  
  
"Not really..." Shawn frowned. "She kinda dumped me..."  
  
"Oh...Shawn, I'm sorry." Abigail tried not to feel sympathy, but she couldn't help it. "I know how you feel for her..."  
  
"Hey, I'll plow on..." he held back tears.  
  
"Yeah," Abigail's animosity toward Shawn was fading. "I'm sure girls are falling all over you..."  
  
"I used to be like that," Shawn chuckled at his younger days, when a commitment was a two week relationship. "I don't think I could name off every girl I've dated..."  
  
"Really?" Abigail asked. "When did that fade?"  
  
"When I met Angela..." he sighed. "She changed me a lot. What were you like when you were a kid?"  
  
"I was really shy. I never talked to anyone, except Hannah and Bailey. And I literally, never had a date. The first time I ever hung out with a guy was in eleventh grade, and that was Johnny." She sneered at that name.  
  
"You dated that sleaze bag?" Shawn asked. "Wow. I thought you'd be the type of girl that only dated the Cory's of the world..."  
  
"I pay no attention to class, Shawn." Abigail shook her head. "Never have."  
  
"It's like my dad always told me... 'Money don't make ya rich, live makes ya rich...'" Shawn quoted his dad.  
  
"What happened to your dad?" she leaned forward.  
  
"He, uh, had a heart attack in 1998." Shawn cleared his throat.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Abigail put her hand over her mouth. "What about your mom?"  
  
"The woman I thought was my mom you mean? She abandoned my father and I..." Shawn looked down. "But then, I found out she wasn't even my mom a couple years ago. I found my real mother online, and tried to contact her, but she would have no part in it." Shawn explained. "It scarred me so badly, that I started drinking." He sighed. "But thank God for Cory, or else I'd still be on that path..."  
  
Abigail was aghast. "Oh, Shawn, I'm so sorry..." she was tearing up.  
  
"I was basically alone all the time. Even when my dad was alive, he was always out drinking. When he came home drunk, I'd follow him around the house, cleaning up whatever he knocked over, or wherever he puked. I was a latchkey kid..." he was on the verge of tears. "But I admit, I'd give almost anything to have my dad here with me again, even though he was never there..."  
  
"I'm sorry, Shawn..." Abigail slid a little closer to him.  
  
"What about you?" he changed the subject.  
  
"My dad is never home either, as you know." Abigail shook her head. "He's always offering to take me places with him, but I never want to go. I've been basically everywhere there is. But, yeah, when he does come home, he's always too tired, or too busy to even waste a second talking to me." She nodded. "The only person I have around to talk to, or to ask for advice is Jeffrey. But, I guess, I'd be living in an side street somewhere, if he wasn't gone all the time..." she shrugged.  
  
"But, it'd be nice to have him around to talk to, huh?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Yeah," she nodded. "My mom left us when I was eight months old. She never wrote, never called, never had any contact with me, so I don't know what she's like. I'd love to have a mother figure, but I never have."  
  
"When my dad went on a personal vendetta to find my mom when I was in seventh grade, so I lived with my English teacher, Mr. Turner. He basically raised me..." Shawn grinned. "He's a lot like me. I spent so much of my time at Cory's, though." Shawn shrugged. "I did have a father and mother figure, now that I think of it. I always had Mr. Turner, and the Matthews'."  
  
"See, you're lucky." Abigail nodded. "I didn't even have that..." she sniffled.  
  
"But they're not my parents. I was fortunate enough to have them, and my teacher Mr. Feeny, who always moved up a teaching grade whenever Cory, Topanga and I moved up a grade, which is pretty weird...but, yeah, nothing beats your real parents..." Shawn sighed.  
  
"I couldn't agree more..." Abigail slid over beside Shawn. "What about Angela, anyway? I mean, I know I've asked this so many times, but what made you fall in love with her?"  
  
"She..." he thought for a second. "I don't really know what it was...but, it was like, she walked across the room, and I knew..."  
  
Abigail nodded. "That's sweet."  
  
"But, now..." Shawn felt his eyes well up with tears. "Everything is gone. I mean, I never had a mother, or a father, and the only real thing I knew is gone..." he swallowed back the lump in his throat.  
  
"Don't be afraid to let it out, Shawn..." Abigail hugged him. "I won't turn away, I promise."  
  
Shawn looked into her eyes. "I know..." he swallowed another lump in his throat, as he always had, but this one just didn't want to go down. He felt the tears, which were so familiar since Angela had left, welling up again, and couldn't hold them back much longer. He closed his eyes, and tried to push them back in, but wound up crying in front of Abigail, and crying in front of someone wasn't a very 'Shawn Hunter' thing to do.  
  
Abigail wrapped her arms tightly around Shawn, and consoled him. "I know how you feel, Shawn. I mean, I know what it means to feel so alone that you don't think you're consolable. But, you always are. I'm always here for you..." she lay his head on her shoulder.  
  
"Why did they all have to do this to me, Abbi?" he asked. "Everyone in my life has betrayed me, with the exception of Cory, Eric and you. I mean, I would be such a better person if they hadn't." he sniffled. "Don't you think so?"  
  
"You are an amazing person, just the way you are, Shawn." She pushed him back a little, so she could look into his green eyes.  
  
He hugged her again. "Thank you so much..."  
  
"That's what I'm here for," Abigail returned Shawn's hug.  
  
"You know, we're a lot alike," Shawn grinned. "We have a lot in common..."  
  
"Yeah, we do." Abigail smiled.  
  
"Kinda weird." Shawn thought for a second. 'What am I doing? Letting an angel like her pass me by? I mean, she's right here in front of me, and I'm just throwing it all away? No, I won't. I won't let this become another Angela case.' he told himself. Then, it just came out. "Abbi, I'm sorry." He looked at her. "I'm so sorry. I never, ever wanted to hurt you. I just want you to be happy. You deserve the world, and someone who can give you things!"  
  
"I don't want 'things,' Shawn..." she shook her head. "I want someone to talk to me. Someone who'll always be there for me, no matter what. I want someone who'll love me..." she wanted to cry. "I have 'things,' but one thing I don't have is someone who's constantly there."  
  
"And, you actually want me to be that?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, more than anything. You showed me that not all guys are like Johnny." She put her hand on his. "You're the most amazing person I've even met..."  
  
"And you are to me..." he grinned.  
  
It was silent for a couple seconds, then Abigail gasped. "Eric's plan...it...worked..."  
  
"Oh my God...there's a first time for everything, I guess..." Shawn laughed. 


End file.
